Summer school 5/9

“Fetch your brooms please,” called the teacher, “this will be a lesson in flight control and navigation.”

Jennifer Jane took her broom from the rack, amidst taunts from Eroin and his friends about the cycling human.

“We ought to call you Daisy,” smaned one of them, you know, after the old song; ‘You’ll look sweet, upon the seat, of a broom that’s been built for two,’ he sang loudly and rather out of tune.

They all trooped out of the broom shed giggling away, before being called to order by the flight instructor.

“Now, I want you to do your best to follow and keep up with me wherever I lead. You have all passed your navigational exams, (“even old Daisy” whispered Eroin with a snort), so you shouldn’t have too much difficulty in finding your way home. When I give the word, I want you to race back to the drawbridge, first one across will receive a prize.”

She lead the class through to the castle side of the Home and rose slowly into the air, waiting for everyone to get off the ground and hover in front of her.

“Right then, follow me.” She rose rapidly above the clouds and headed off towards Lurgin’s Bridge. One or two of the apprentices were beginning to lag behind even at this early stage, but Jennifer Jane and Maddy had no difficulty in keeping up. Eroin was doing very well indeed, he managed to keep so close to the instructor you could almost think that he was tied onto her with a rope.

The class was led off round clouds, through clouds and over the tops of clouds, but never went below them again for an hour. At the end of this time Jennifer Jane had no idea where she was. Judging by the expression on the faces around her, neither did any of the other apprentices.

“Now then, will you all hover here for a moment,” said the witch in charge, “you have all passed your navigation exams, so I want you to find out where you are and return to the Witches’ Home as quickly as you can. Don’t forget the first one across the drawbridge wins a small prize”

The apprentices began to fly off in all sorts of different directions. Jennifer Jane had no idea which way to go, so she sat and thought for a moment, while the teacher waited on her broom grinning at the few remaining students.

“See you at supper time Daisy, if you manage to find your way back at all,” shouted Eroin.

Jennifer Jane watched him sink rapidly through the clouds and disappear. Of course that was the correct way to navigate! ‘Find somewhere you recognise and take your bearings from there.’

She dropped carefully through the clouds until she could see the ground clearly beneath her. Half a mile away she could see Eroin slowly flying round in larger and larger circles as he tried to find a landmark he recognised. Maddy had followed them both down and began the same tactics.

She was just going to follow suit, even though she didn’t know the countryside as well as the other apprentices, when she suddenly spotted something familiar over to her left. She flew towards it and recognised the waterfall at the end of Happy Valley.